MechelleMyBell

I wasn't sure where to post this. I hope someone can help me. I am a Certified Medical Assistant and can't find a job so I took a position as a caregiver through an agency. i do know a little bit about being a CNA but it's been years. anyway, it was my understanding as a caregiver/companion I was suppose to help with meals, cleaning, Dr. Appts and hygiene needs as needed and be a companion. My first day was with a dementia patient who was on hospice. He had a CNA and nurse come once during my 12 hour shift. The family was giving moraine throughout the day. My supervisor told me to empty his catheter and measure his urine every 2 hours and also to turn him every 2 hours and record this info. Not a problem but I want to make sure I'm not over stepping what the CNA should be doing. It doesn't say anything like this in my job description and I have a CMA that I don't want to lose for a dumb misunderstanding. can someone plz help. Thank you.

Oooh I see. Well, I'm a parent of a 22 and 17 year old. And I did try and get my kids into nursing or something similar, I thought it would be good for them, but I could see their heart just wasn't into in. If I would have forced the issue on my 22 year old, he would be feeling what you're feeling no doubt. i think you also may have a little resentment and that's understandable and I don't think your heart's in it and could be why you make mistakes. If you were my child I would tell you to follow your heart. Be happy with what you do everyday bc you're the one that has to wake up to it every morning. Life is too short to be miserable. I hope you find what you love to do. Best of luck to you.

I'm curious how someone or something can force you to go to nursing school then become a nurse? Maybe you just need to change places of employment?

My mom is in assisted living and the CNAs that work there have it pretty easy. Comparing them to a long term care facility bc the ppl in assisted living can get around and are not bed bound. The CNAs do help my mom with whatever she needs but so far my mom is doing most things on her own. They may help her get in and out of the shower and that's about it so far. Everyone there is like a big family. The place where she lives is beautiful and I can tell the CNAs enjoy coming to work. They also have a med aide that helps my mom with her meds. I'm not saying it's easy work but I feel like it's not as back breaking as taking care of someone in a nursing home that is bed bound. Good luck!

I don't think they transfer. I think you have to be licensed in the state where you work. So to work in Florida you have to test in Floria. To work in Georgia you have to test in Georgia. This is the way I understand it anyway. If it's a national test then you can work nationally with it but if it's a state test, you can only work in that state.

I just want to add.... most ppl don't know how back breaking work it is to be a CNA. That's one reason I stopped doing it. I'm 47 and not a big person and my back just couldn't handle it. Going to school now for my MA. Not that nursing or even MA isn't a tough job bc it is BUT I've never worked as hard for low pay as I did as a CNA. I'm in Texas and CNA and MA do not make good money at all. It's a sad reality. I just wanted to mention this bc some ppl don't know how much work it is. Lifting ppl out of bed twice as big as you is hard. If your in shape and strong then it's prob not an issue. I've worked 2 jobs before and raised 2 kids alone being a single mom and it's doable if you're committed. But when your not depending on your salary to feed your kids it's would be hard for me to stay motivated. My advice is to look at the reality of it. Jobs come and go but your kids are only this age for a moment in time and I missed so much. I would take look at other day time jobs or classes to do while they are in school and not have to pay for day care! My daycare bill was half my salary! I would just take your time and think it all the way through. Not trying to be a downer. I'm a realist lol good luck tho and I hope it all works out for the best.

Sounds to me like you need to leave. Now before you hurt someone or your self. If you have that attitude (and I'm not saying it's not justified) then it's time for you to leave gracefully before things turn ugly. Everybody gets burned out... nurses, teachers, cops and probably the president too but if you think it's past the point of no return then you need to do what's best for everyone and put on your walking boots.

I haven't seen many topics about MAs. I had a couple questions about the program. I'm not sure if the program I am starting on Monday goes over EKGs? Isn't this on the NHA exam? I am wondering if all Medical Assistant programs include ekg training? I would hope so if I'm going to be tested on it to get certified. Does anyone know how intense the EKG training is in the MA program? I really wanna work in telemetry but even taking an EKG class 2 years ago I wasn't able to get a job, so I was hoping to take the MA program with EKG and get certified in both. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi idk about orientation but just want to say that those other CNAs are just ppl who use to be in ur same situation. We are all just ppl on the same level so don't be intimidated. If ppl shun you, it's usually bc they are threaten by you being there so hold your head high and be confident. Good luck to you !

I really wish ppl on here would stop giving bad advice and stop saying you won't be able to find a nursing job or the market is saturated. Unless they live all over the world they have no idea what they are talking about. I live in Texas and we have a huge shortage of nurses. I saw 5 ads for medical assistants today for one hospital and 10 ads for RNs at the other hospital. This doesn't count all the home health facilities that need help right now. So it all depends on where you live. Do some research and do what's best for you.

One more thing I want to mention. The best jobs are never advertised. I've gotten more interviews by mailing my resume out to the hiring person then I ever did trying to compete with 100 other ppl on indeed. I have vet tech experience so when I was in the field I would put a nice resume together and put it in a big envelope and mail it out and address it directly to the vet. Hand written on the envelope. Ppl will always open it if they think it could be important and personally. I got a lot of interviews this way. So, maybe try finding a doctor you want to work for and sending him/her your resume in a hand written envelope. It's worth a try and I think it shows the dr you really took the time and your very interested. Be sure and add a cover letter to your resume stating why you want to work for him/her. This has always worked well for me. I can not compete with 100 other applicants bc there's no way they have even looked at that many resumes. Who has the time. Even if the dr have no ad on the job boards I've gotten interviews so show them you are going the extra mile and stand out from everyone else! It can't hurt to try. Send out about five at a time. Each one personalized to fit that doctor. Good luck!!

Where do you live? I see these comments a lot about not being able to find medical assistant jobs. I'm starting the program next week bc that's all I see on the job boards! I guess it depends on your area. CNA's are in demand here also. I think $500 is a good price. My MA program is $1,999.00 at the local community college. I think the CNA is $695.00 I would watch the indeed (internet job board) job board in your area and see what's in demand. I also have the local hospital job pages set on my home screen and check them daily to see what jobs are being posted and what experience they want. I know some get hired as a unit clerk if they have CNA experience and also we have a local dialysis clinic here that's hires CNA's and PCT. hope this helps!

The best advice I can give you is that you have to talk about it. I'm the same way and don't like talking about things or bothering ppl with my problems or emotions when everyone has their own stuff to deal with. That being said, you talking about it may also help someone else that is like us that doesn't like to share their emotions. We are all human and we all go through these same emotions at some point in our lives so you are not alone and I think talking about it and not keeping it inside will unload a lot of stress. Be careful bc I personally know that stress can cause a lot of health problems. Find a way to meditate or exercise to relieve stress also. Stress is very harmful to your health in the long run. Good luck. You sound like the kind of person I would want taking care of my mom :)

There is a HUGE shortage of nurses where I live, so it depends on your area.